The present invention relates to taping machines and pertains particularly to a machine for automatically cutting and applying a tape to the leads of lead frames for semiconductor packages.
Lead frames are utilized in the semiconductor industry for connecting semiconductor devices inside a package to a plurality of connecting pins externally of the semiconductor package. As the number of leads in the frame increase, the leads become smaller and thus it becomes necessary to secure the leads in some manner for processing of the lead frames. The long thin leads of multiple lead frames become quite flexible and are easily bent and damaged during processing if not properly secured. One manner of securing the leads together during processing or for processing is the use of a polyamide tape. Small strips of such polyamide tape is applied to the fingers of the frame to mechanically support the leads during the processing.
The prior art technique for applying such tapes to a lead frame includes the use of a ladder type tape with strips extending transverse between side rails with alternate ones of the strips cut out and applied to the leads by a machine. While this process can be automatic and can be quite rapid, it utilizes only approximately 1/3 of the tape. Such tape is quite expensive and such waste increases the expense of processing lead frames.
It is therefore desirable that some means be available for rapidly and conveniently applying tape without waste to lead frames.